In the Spaces Between Words
by Oceanmegami
Summary: Gakupo asks Kaito why he loves ice cream. AU. Drabble-ish.


**Title:** In the Spaces Between Words

**Fandom:** Vocaloid

**Character(s)/Pairing: **Kaito, Gakupo (major); Rin, Len (minor) | some GakupoxKaito

**Summary:** Gakupo asks Kaito why he loves ice cream. AU. Drabble-ish.

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"Looks like those two are having fun." Gakupo commented as he watched the twins take turns on the swing. "But aren't they getting a little too old for this?"

A light-hearted laugh was the only answer he got from his companion as the other man settled in right beside him. "Now don't be like that, Gakupo." Kaito chided in a scolding, but nonetheless affectionate, manner. "Let them be. After all, we're only young once you know? Besides, they're only _fourteen_ - young enough to be still considered as children."

"Hey.. whose side are you really on? Mine or theirs?"

Another laugh. "Theirs of course, silly~"

The purple-haired man frowned at this. "Thanks. You're such a great friend, _really_." He reached out his right hand at Kaito and ruffled the other young man's blue hair.

"Stop that!" Kaito whined at the action. He tried to pry the offending hand away, but to no avail. Instead, he received a peal of amused laughter from Gakupo which made his cheeks color unabashedly.

"Sorry." Gakupo managed to say through his laughter. "It's just that your reactions amuse me so." His words were met by a firm glare. _'Okay. So maybe I do deserve that.'_

The atmosphere around them had gotten a little too awkward for conversation after that, so the older man opted to keep quiet for the time being. Better to wait for Kaito to simmer down. Kaito must have sensed it, too, for he abruptly turned away from the other and busied himself with a tub of ice cream.

For a while, Gakupo amused himself by watching Rin and Len play in the park. The twins had gotten tired of the swings, and are now having a contest among themselves as to who can hang onto the monkey bars upside down longer.

However, the twins' antics weren't enough to keep his attention on them. Every now and then, he'd cast a side-long glance at Kaito. The blue-haired young man was still eating away at his ice cream. A question began to form in Gakupo's mind as he watched his friend.

It wasn't long before Kaito caught him staring at him. "What is it?" His blue eyebrows were furrowed together in a questioning manner. "You look like you wanted to ask me something."

Gakupo thought his words over before answering, "Actually, I do. I've been meaning to ask for a while now but.. why is it that you love ice cream so much?" Kaito looked as if he was caught off-guard by the question. There was a surprised look on his face before his expression changed into a softer, almost thoughtful, one.

"I guess you could say that it's my own way of making up for lost time." A solemn smile made its way to the blue-hared boy's pale lips. A long silence hung in the air, but Gakupo did not dare break it. He knows - no, _feels_ - that Kaito isn't done speaking yet.

"When we were young, Rin, Len and I were... abandoned by our parents." Kaito's jaw was set grimly as he spoke. "I was thirteen then; the twins, seven. I didn't know what I was supposed to do.. it was too much for a kid to handle. All of a sudden I had to become both mother and father for my two younger siblings. I have had to give up my own childhood to make a better one for them."

Gakupo couldn't help the guilt coiling at his stomach. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to pry-" He started to apologize, but was abruptly stopped by Kaito.

"There's no need for that. It all happened in the past, so you don't need to worry about it." The blue-haired young man smiled. "My past isn't the best one, I know. But I don't regret anything."

He continued, "Ah.. seems like I haven't answered your question yet - the reason why I love ice cream. You see, there was this one time when everything became too much for me to bear. I ended up running into this park and cried... until this boy approached me. He asked me why I was crying, and when I didn't answer, he held out his ice cream cone and told me the words, 'Here I'll give this to you, so don't cry anymore okay?'" Kaito could not help but giggle at the memory. His blue eyes then looked at his friend's teal ones and smiled.

"That boy.. was you, Gakupo."

The older man was at a loss of words as he stared the other incredulously. "That day...so it was you..?"

Kaito nodded. "You don't know how much those simple words meant to me. You _saved_ me."

He then placed his hands upon Gakupo's own. Softly, he spoke. "Look, your hands are unlike mine. Yours are soft and smooth to the touch, whereas mine are rough and scarred. But you know, I'm very thankful. That despite everything, I am able to be with you like this. It's more than enough for me, and for that, I am grateful."

Gakupo stared at Kaito's hands. True to the blue-haired boy's words, his hands are rough from years of arduous labor; the tiny scars that littered his palms a testament to the hardships they'd been exposed to. _'These are the hands of a soldier who had been through many battles and made it out alive'_, he told himself. But despite that, they felt so terribly fragile and small against his own; as if the minutest impact could shatter them at any given moment.

Gently, he kissed Kaito's hands.

"D-don't!" Kaito cried, alarmed. "You shouldn't! My hands - they're too ugly for something like that!"

The purple-haired man stared deeply into Kaito's eyes. "Something borne out of great love and sacrifice can never be ugly. It's the most beautiful thing there is, Kaito. Remember that."

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**A/N:** This was a short drabble I made early this year.. had no idea it was still sitting in my pc. I'm so scattered right now that I can't even write properly..


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